Nearly 60 Freshmen, First-year Transfer Students Honored by Dean Richtermeyer

Students roast marshmallows for s'mores at the Deans List reception Image by Ed Brennen
Manning School of Business students roast marshmallows for s'mores during the Dean's List recognition event at University Crossing.

02/08/2019
By Ed Brennen

Over a dessert of gooey s鈥檓ores and rich hot chocolate, the Manning School of Business recognized nearly 60 freshmen and first-year transfer students who made the fall semester Dean鈥檚 List at a recent reception at University Crossing鈥檚 Moloney Ballroom.

Hosting the event for the first time as dean of the Manning School, Sandra Richtermeyer invited the students and their families to campus to celebrate.

鈥淭his is a big accomplishment that you should all be proud of,鈥� Richtermeyer told the crowd, which included dozens of parents and family members.

Recounting her own difficulties in her first semester as an undergraduate student, Richtermeyer praised the students for their focus and determination.

鈥淕etting adjusted to a new environment, a four-year degree program or transferring to a new college is a lot of hard work,鈥� said Richtermeyer, who presented each student with a certificate. 鈥淚t makes me happy to be here with you today to celebrate your accomplishments.鈥�

Among those honored was Kyle Knapp, a freshman from Natick majoring in business administration with a concentration in management information systems.

Manning School Dean Sandra Richtermeyer addresses the students Image by Ed Brennen
Manning School Dean Sandra Richtermeyer asks students for a show of hands during the Dean's List ceremony.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 expect to make the Dean鈥檚 List coming into the year, but I worked hard and it paid off,鈥� said Knapp, who juggles his studies with a part-time job with Transportation Services, where he works 15 to 20 hours a week as a student driver.

Knapp鈥檚 mom, Leslie, was proud to see her son鈥檚 River Hawk career get off to a flying start.

鈥淭his was his first-choice school, and he鈥檚 super excited to be here. It鈥檚 been a great transition for him,鈥� said Leslie, who added that she and her husband were excited to be invited to the reception. 鈥淲e鈥檙e so proud of him.鈥�

All 215 freshmen and first-year transfers who qualified for the Dean鈥檚 List by earning a minimum 3.25 grade point average were invited to the event. Their names also appeared on the chandelier stock ticker in the lobby of the Pulichino Tong Business Center. Overall, 835 Manning School students made the fall Dean鈥檚 List.

The reception also served as a networking opportunity for students, as Richtermeyer asked them to move around the room and introduce themselves to someone they didn鈥檛 know.

Business students network during the Deans List event Image by Ed Brennen
First-year business student Elizabeth Longhi says hello to a classmate during the Dean's List event.

鈥淚t was really nice to just sit down and talk with people who you might not get to meet during the course of the semester when everyone is so busy,鈥� said Emmanuel Edobor-Ovabor, a freshman from Plymouth majoring in business administration with a concentration in management.

鈥淚 thought my first semester went pretty well,鈥� said Edobor-Ovabor, an Honors College student whose favorite course last semester was the First-Year Seminar in Honors: Text in the City. 鈥淚 was able to find my study pattern in high school, so coming into college wasn鈥檛 too much of a change. But I know that can be a problem for some students.鈥�

Edobor-Ovabor鈥檚 parents and younger brother made the 140-mile round trip from Plymouth for the event.

鈥淚 am so happy and so proud of him,鈥� said his father, Daniel. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad that he鈥檚 in this school. There seems to be a family environment here, which is very nice to see.鈥�

Share